“Good. I like a nice morning meander. Gives one time to take it all in rather than speeding by and missing out on the scenery.”
He smiled, his chest expanding with a long, slow breath, and then exhaled, his entire demeanor relaxing. It wasn’t a stretch of the imagination to figure out who had made him feel he needed to explain and apologize for things out of his control. Nadia had clearly done a number on him and, as his new friend, I decided then and there to make it my mission to be the anti-Nadia. I had a feeling Brontë needed some of that energy too, so every so often I reached down to give her a scratch behind her ears, a pet on her head, or say some words of encouragement.
“You’re looking spry today, girl,” I said as we stepped off the curb to cross the street.
“She actually does,” Graham said. “It’s weird. Like she knew before we left this morning that we were going to have company joining us and mustered up a bit of excitement.”
“I’m flattered.”
“I think I’m a little jealous.”
“How come?”
“The leaning… the tail wagging. She normally only does that for me and Marley.”
“Uh oh,” I said, raising an eyebrow at B. “Are you flirting with me, Brontë?”
“Can’t blame her,” Graham said, his cheeks immediately taking on a pink hue. “I mean, who wouldn’t flirt with someone who’s being so nice?”
“That reminds me,” I said, letting him off the hook as I dug into my pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “These are some supplements Addie suggested.”
“Supplements?”
“Yeah. She has a holistic side to her clinic, which people, and animals, love her for.”
He looked over the list and then met my eyes with a smile. “Thank you. I’ll buy every one of these.”
I laughed. “I mean, don’t go overboard. You don’t want her to get an upset stomach. Addie suggested adding one to her diet at a time. The starred ones are what you should start with.”
“Thank you, Lior. That was very kind of you to ask her.”
I shrugged. “She loves her job. And she happens to be a fan of yours.”
“We are very appreciative.”
“You are both very welcome. Addie is a genius. It’s why I keep her around. And she keeps me around for the free clothes I send her.”
“I doubt it’s just that.”
“I do offer other benefits.”
“Like?”
“Constant entertainment. You should’ve heard her howl with laughter when she realized that I, in her words, was the ‘Meet-Poop Girl’. For fuck’s sake, Graham… I will never live that down for the rest of my life.”
I laughed as he once again blushed.
“I will forever try and make that up to you,” he said.
“As well you should,” I said, lightly smacking him on the arm. “My ego has been bruised.”
“You mean shat upon?”
“Tis in the shitter.”
We tossed puns back and forth for the next block until he stopped and checked his watch.
“You up for a coffee break?” he asked. “Brontë and I have a regular spot we like to go, just up the road.”
